Denise Lewis

Born
Aug 27, 1972 (54 years old)
Birthplace
West Bromwich, United Kingdom
Events
Heptathlon · Long Jump
Height
1.73 m

Dame Denise Rosemarie Lewis (born 27 August 1972) is a British sports administrator and former sports presenter and athletics athlete, who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was twice Commonwealth Games champion, was the 1998 European Champion, and won World Championships silver medals in 1997 and 1999. She was the first European to win the Olympic heptathlon, though Europeans, including Briton Mary Peters, had won the Olympic pentathlon precursor event.

Her personal best score for the heptathlon is 6,831 points, set at the Décastar meeting in 2000. That is a former British record and ranks her third on the all-time British lists behind double World, double Commonwealth Games champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Olympic, three-time World and European champion Jessica Ennis-Hill. Along with these two and pentathletes Mary Rand and Dame Mary Peters, Lewis is recognised as one of Britain's greatest female multi-eventers, and the first in the line of British global champions in heptathlon.

Since retiring from athletics, she has undertaken work on television and other media work, and was a regular athletics pundit for BBC Television, including during the Olympic Games in London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. It was announced that she had stepped down from her role at the BBC on the conclusion of the athletics programme at the 2024 Games. In addition to her media work, Lewis is president of Commonwealth Games England which is the official Commonwealth Games Association for England at the Commonwealth Games and, since 2023, president of UK Athletics, the governing body for the sport of Athletics in the United Kingdom.

Personal best · Heptathlon6831
2004 season best1.73Aug 20, 2004 · Olympic Stadium, Athina
Medals4Olympic Games: 1 gold, 1 bronze · World Championships: 2 silver
Personal best · Long Jump6.69

As of Oct 29, 2026: Heptathlon 6831 (#19 all-time), Long Jump 6.69 (#465 all-time), 2004 season best 1.73 (Aug 20, 2004, Olympic Stadium, Athina (GRE)) · Last competition: The XXVIII Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Athina, Aug 21, 2004, DNF · Olympic Games: 1 gold, 1 bronze · World Championships: 2 silver · 54 years old

DisciplineResultAll-time
200mTalence 200024.01*1,035 pts–
800mTalence 20002:12.20955 pts–
100mHTalence 200013.131,132 pts#852
HJSevilla 19991.871,091 pts–
LJTalence 20006.691,149 pts#465
SPSevilla 199916.12965 pts–

* Wind-assisted (> 2.0 m/s)

Medals

CompetitionsGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Olympic Games1–12
World Championships–2–2
Total1214

Progression

Compare me
SeasonDisciplineResultWindDateCompetitions
2004HJ 1.73–Aug 20, 2004The XXVIII Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Athina
2004LJ 6.17+0.4Jul 30, 2004Crystal Palace, London (GBR)
200460mH Indoor8.48–Feb 8, 2004AAA Indoor Championships
2004100mH 13.40-0.4Aug 20, 2004The XXVIII Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Athina
2004SP 15.40–Jun 5, 2004Loughborough (GBR)
2004200m 25.42-0.2Aug 20, 2004The XXVIII Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Athina
2004JT 51.48–Jul 10, 2004AAA Championships
2003HJ 1.74–Jul 5, 2003European Cup Combined Events 1st League
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Media

Denise Lewis
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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Denise Lewis's Heptathlon personal best is 6831, set on Jul 30, 2000 in Talence (FRA), #19 on the all-time list.

Denise Lewis competes in the Heptathlon and Long Jump.

2004 season best: 1.73, set on Aug 20, 2004 in Olympic Stadium, Athina (GRE). Last competition: The XXVIII Olympic Games, Olympic Stadium, Athina on Aug 21, 2004, DNF.

Denise Lewis has won 2 Olympic Games medals and 2 World Championships medals.